An electronic device for protecting the occupants of a motor vehicle during a collision is shown in German Patent No. DE 3,621,580 Al. Another such device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,695, wherein a motor vehicle is equipped with a plurality of restraining devices which are activated as a function of the vehicle's speed. For example, a restraining device allotted to a passenger is activated only at slow vehicle speeds, whereas a restraining device allotted to the driver is not activated at the same speed, or is only activated at a subsequent point in time.
German Patent No. 2,151,399 shows how to install several impact sensitive configurations in a vehicle, wherein several electro-mechanical sensors have sensitivity axes pointing in different directions.